Richard Stauffeneker saved Joseph P. Gruda from burning, New Ipswich, New Hampshire, May 4, 2006. Gruda, 26, was the driver of a commercial truck that, carrying at least 130 gallons of fuel and towing a pickup truck, rolled over onto another vehicle, crushing it, in a highway accident. Disoriented, he hung upside down in the cab of the truck as leaking fuel flowed onto the road and flames erupted on the wreckage, near the cab. Other motorists, including Stauffeneker, 36, mason, stopped at the scene. Stauffeneker approached the wreckage and, after pulling the truck’s windshield away, partially entered the cab head first and freed Gruda’s legs, which were pinned by the gearshift lever. As Gruda remained caught, Stauffeneker worked to dislodge him while the flames grew. He then pulled Gruda from the cab and guided him to safety. Learning only then that another vehicle was involved, Stauffeneker returned to the wreckage, but the driver of the other vehicle was able to free himself. The men retreated to safety moments before flames engulfed the cab of the truck and the other vehicle. Gruda was treated at the scene for cuts to his hands, and the driver of the other vehicle sustained only a minor burn.
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